吃苦頭 chī kǔ tou

to suffer for one's actions; to suffer; to pay dearly

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. to suffer for one's actions
  2. 2. to suffer
  3. 3. to pay dearly
  4. 4. to burn one's fingers

Characters

Character Meaning
吃 chī HSK 1
to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
苦 kǔ HSK 4
bitter; to suffer; hardship
頭 tou
head; the top; end